Obituary – Mike Wisnoski – Sesser

Mike Wisnoski, 93, of Sesser died at 3:00 P.M. April 6, 2013, at Fairview Nursing Home in DuQuoin IL.

Visitation is from 9:00 till 10:30 A.M. on Tuesday April 9, 2013 at the Brayfield-Gilbert Funeral Home in Sesser. A brief Family Remembrance service will be at 10:30 Tuesday at the funeral home followed by a funeral mass at 11 A.M. at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Sesser. Burial will be at Maple Hill Cemetery in Sesser.

Mike Wisnoski was born in Coello, IL on June 13, 1919, to parents Joseph and Tekla Wisnoski, both of whom emigrated from Russia in the early 1900s. He was the youngest of seven children.

After graduation from Christopher High School, he attended Chillicothe Business School in Chillicothe, Mo. He worked at Swift & Co. in St Louis before returning to Coello.

He held many different jobs throughout the course of his life. While delivering milk to Rozenski Grocery in Sesser, he met and fell in love with Irene Rozenski. On November 2, 1946, he and Irene were married. They moved to Sesser upon their marriage where he resided until his death.

In the 1950’s he and his brother-in-law, Paul Rozenski, opened and operated their own cocktail lounge in Sesser. In 1958, they built the Sesser Feed Mill which they ran for many years. In 1974 he became an employee of Roberts and Schaffer, a mine construction company, working as a millwright. He was a member of the UMWA. He retired from construction in 1984.

Mike enjoyed growing tomatoes in his garden. He was known for his good humor and pleasant demeanor. He could be found enjoying a fish dinner most Fridays at the Sesser VFW.

Mike was a member of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Sesser. He cherished his wife, loved his family, and thoroughly enjoyed his neighbors and friends. He loved living in Sesser. He built his home in Sesser in 1953 and lived there throughout his life. He often said that the only move he would ever make would be a move to MapleHillCemetery.

He is survived by his wife Irene, daughters Paula Polak (Michael), Patricia Fiorino (close friend, Stephen Shapiro) and Charlotte Conner (David); and his six grandchildren: Lisa and Jason Polak, Katie and Connie Fiorino, and Brooke and Julie Conner.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his four brothers, Pete, William, Andrew and John, and two sisters, Nancy Laridon and Helen Granier, mother-in-law, Anna Rozenski (William), and brother-in-law Paul Rozenski (Edna and Lorraine).

Memorial donations can be made to St.Marys Church or St. Judes Children’s Hospital or charity of your choice.

Services will conducted by Father Lou Koehr and Father Peter Balili.